Stranger
by GodspeedEnding
Summary: Karkat had only categorized everyone who lived there as normal. This guy isn't normal. He loves that. Humanstuck
1. Stranger

Disclaimer: I do not own Homestuck or Jenga

* * *

Karkat Vantas did not expect his life to get any stranger than it already was. He did not expect a clown to move in across the hall from him. He did not expect a clown to become interested in him.

What he did expect though was the array of colors that blinded him as the aforementioned clown ushered him into his apartment. He did expect the various pictures of clowns littering the walls, just not to that ... _degree_.  
The clowns on his walls looked... deranged. Even more so than normal in Karkat's opinion. Though, in Karkat's opinion, the clown now living across from him was the most deranged of them all.

And by all, he does mean _all_.

Not that the posters weren't enough, but littered about the floor were already splotches of paints that were either dry or wet or somewhere in between. There were horns _everywhere_. Bottles of soda had already claimed the shelves, the parts of the floor the horns hadn't reached, and there was even one on one of the fan's blades.  
Karkat couldn't even bring himself to describe the horrible rap music blasting from somewhere deep within the apartment. In that moment, he swore to find out which room it was coming from...and _end_ it.

He got enough rapping from Dave and his roommate.  
If this clown guy wanted to join their rapping, he would have to do it over Karkat's _cold_,_ dead_,_ body_. He sure as hell was not going to allow them all to meet up and become the worst rapping trio in all of time and space.

But back to what's currently going on, Karkat has found himself in the apartment of a strange clown guy. Why he followed him in, _no one knows_. Why he didn't just lock himself in his bathroom after looking out the peephole, Karkat wished he knew.

But he didn't.

So, in this moment, he's finding out more about this clown guy who lives across the hall. This guy who Karkat is sure does drugs, who he's sure has never had any proper care, who has never had anyone there for him.  
From all this that Karkat has simply assumed, he has come to one conclusion; _his life sucks_.

Though, Karkat does have one thing to admit.

He envies him.  
Karkat is jealous of someone he just met. Someone whose name he doesn't even know. Why?

He wants that freedom.

* * *

The day the clown moved across the hall was the day Karkat fought with his roommate. The two had been arguing about nothing in particular, it's just that it was something that absolutely needed to happen. If the two didn't fight, they would freak and think one of them has gone insane or lost the drive to retaliate.

That couldn't happen.

So they maintained their relationship by getting all their feelings out through verbal disagreements, never physical. Except for one time, but they both blame their actions on the heat of the moment and that too much was at stake They did however come to peaceful terms on the topic.

_Jenga is war._

Other than that, the two get along on a mutually platonic relationship. So really, with the usual fighting, the day the clown moved in was actually a normal day. Not a single thing out of the ordinary. That excludes the moving in of the aforementioned clown.

Cause that was fucking weird.

The only people who had ever lived in that building, Karkat had categorized as normal. Though, albeit his cold exterior, a little part of him welcomed this new guy with open arms.

Because he wasn't normal.


	2. Karkat's Unit of Measurment

Disclaimer: I do not own Homestuck

* * *

Karkat Vantas has his own unit for measuring things. What does he use to measure said things?

His bullshit-o-meter._ (Not to be mistaken with his levels of jackassery.)_ Though alike, the two have distinct differences.

His bullshit-o-meter was on a dry erase board that is on the wall adjacent to the door where his roommate's daily schedule resides.

Whenever something is said or done, he'll go color in the level of bullshit appropriate according to whatever it was that set him off.

Today, he reached the highest level.

Why?

Simply because he spent a good hour watching a clown move into the apartment across the hall through the peephole. He's not a stalker, no. He's just curious. But maybe just a bit too much for his own good.

While watching, he caught sight of some pretty questionable items being carried over the threshold. Like what was with the entire box labeled '_WiCkEd ElIxIr_'?

...

Hmph. Must be booze.

Karkat sneered as he watched more. The seconds ticked by into minutes and soon he had watched the man for an entire hour.

An entire fucking hour.

But that's not why he reached the highest level on his bullshit-o-meter. It's a part of it, but not the entire reason. No, he reached it because for the first time in his life, he felt it was time for a change. He felt it was time to let someone have that slot. No one has ever been able to render Karkat speechless like the guy moving in had. And he hadn't even spoken a single word. Not to mention, no one has ever had him _stare _at them for an hour.

...

Someone deserved that spot. That someone would be the stranger across the hall. "Life's getting stranger now." He left the peephole, ready to shade in the appropriate slot according to what he'd just viewed.

* * *

"You reached the highest level today? Wow. What asshole set you off enough to cause that shitstorm?" Sollux Captor threw himself down onto the couch facing the TV and turned it on. He's a friend Karkat sometimes thinks might be more than that. Of course whenever that thought comes to mind, he can't help but go off into a full rant on his feelings to whoever is in the room at the time. In the event that no one is around, he argues with himself. "Was it Ampora?"

"No. I haven't even seen him in a week fortunately." Karkat paused, looking to the ceiling then– "What if he's dead?"

Sollux paused also, staring his friend in the eye before- "Thank the Lord almighty!"

"You're religious?"

"Nope!" Sollux happily jumped onto the coffee table, doing a dance of sorts that Karkat couldn't believe he even knew.

"Dude, get off my table, I put food there." Karkat pushed his friend and the latter complied.

"So who was it?"

Karkat picked up his cup-of-noodle soup and walked over to where Sollux was seated then sat down on the sofa. "I don't know the fucker's name, just that he's moving in across the hall." Sollux openly grimaced.

"Oh, that guy. He's weird. You should stay away from him, Kk."

"I had already been planning on it, so shut up, you're not my mother."

"Chill, Kk,"

Karkat flipped through the channels on the tv before landing on a random romance that he deeply hoped had comedy in it.

The only way to find out was to watch.

So watch he did.

"So what do you know about the guy?" Karkat inquired, tossing his empty cup of soup into the trash bin.

"I know he's fuckin' insane, I can tell you that. You saw him. I was walking up the stairs earlier and ran into him. He kept muttering about how amazing life was and the— what was it?— the merciless messiahs and shit like that."

"Merciless messiahs? What the fuck?"

"I don't even know. As soon as he started taking about miracles I hightailed it out of there."

Karkat and Sollux watched the movie that was in fact a romance and comedy for the next ten minutes before Sollux realized the movie was stupid, had a fight with Karkat over the remote, then decided he'd let Karkat have that one and simply leave in order to alleviate himself of he horrible movie.

"Bye Kk. See you later. I can't take this horrible movie. How do you even like this?"

Karkat barely paid Sollux any attention until he noticed the latter open the door to leave. Upon noticing the bright light from the hallway flood into his apartment, Karkat looked up. "You're leaving? The movie's not even halfway over. We're not even that far into the plot's rising action, asshole."

"Sorry I don't enjoy wasting my time watching movies meant for lovesick girls."

"Yeah, whatever, goodbye, Sollux." Karkat waved his friend out the door, the latter rolling his eyes and locking the door for his preoccupied companion. Karkat spent the remainder of the afternoon watching the movie, crying and laughing whenever the appropriate scene was displayed. By the time the movie was over, it was about seven.

"That movie was worth the five hours spent watching it. Sollux missed out." Karkat stood stretching when he heard a knock on the door.

"Probably my wonderful roommate back from work. Oh yay."

He forced his legs to make the journey across the room to greet the person who he really didn't care to greet.

"Hey-" Karkat began then stopped when he noticed who was at the door.

"Yo."

...

That was the first word Gamzee Makara ever said to Karkat Vantas before the latter slammed the door in his face out of sheer shock, surprise, uncertainty, and something else.

* * *

Thank you for reading ^-^


	3. Free Pie

Disclaimer: I do not own Homestuck.

* * *

Gamzee Makara was puzzled. Due to previous events, that feeling is justified, he believes.

"Well, motherfuck." He scratched his head in disbelief, confused as to why the door was just slammed in his face. Deciding to try again, he knocked a few more times then stepped back for the person to see him through the peephole. It's awkward standing alone in the hallway with clown makeup on at seven pm but he doesn't really think so. So he simply stood there waiting for the person he now was _sure_ was on the other side of the door.

Meanwhile on the other side of the door, Karkat Vantas was pressed against it, glaring through the peephole.

What does this guy want? Who sent him? Why?

It took a second for Karkat to get his bearings straight and realize he was acting like someone from one of his friend's cliché Nic Cage movies.

...

He's got to stop watching those with him.

After making that mental note, Karkat continued scrutinizing the man standing outside his apartment.  
He was dressed in baggy pants with a t-shirt that read 'no' in a dark blue lettering. His hair wasn't too bad, but was a mess that must be hell to comb. The oddest thing about him wasn't how sloppily dressed he was, but the clown makeup he wore. Karkat barely had any time to notice it while he was walking back and forth through the hallway to move in. He still didn't have that great of a view from the peephole what with then guy constantly looking around.

What could he possibly want?

Karkat pressed his ear against the door to listen if the guy planned on walking away or not. For a while he believed he had walked off until there was a pounding against the other side of the door again, Karkat pulled his head back and held his now wildly beating eardrum.

_"What the fuck does this fuckass want?!"_ He hissed, releasing his ear. Karkat began to twist the knob when he suddenly came to the realization that _now _would be the time to run and hide in the bathroom. After a short debate, Karkat said 'fuck it' and pulled the door open to reveal a surprised looking clown.

"What?" The clown looked almost nervous when faced with the tone in Karkat's voice.

"Uh," Karkat narrowed his gaze and the clown seemed to shrink a little.

"Look, sorry about that. Hello." Karkat decided to start over. The guy wouldn't say a word otherwise. Clearly Karkat did _something_ right. The man on the other side of the threshold smiled a bit and stuck out his hand for not a high five or a handshake, but a fist bump.

Weird.

"Hi, I'm Gamzee. I just moved in and thought it'd be cool to all up n' introduce myself to my new neighbors. What's your name?" Karkat narrowed his gaze again– wondering just what kind of introduction that was.

"Hi Gamzee. I'm Karkat. Welcome to the building I guess." Karkat made to awkwardly fist bump the guy– _Gamzee_ apparently.

"Karbro, got it."

"I said Kark–"

"Oh, hey my pie." Gamzee turned a bit away from Karkat before looking at him again with obvious new intentions. "I'm being rude. You wanna come on over and get your fuckin' munch on?"  
Karkat merely stared at the guy. What the hell kind of offer was that? Karbro? 'Munch on'? He was hungry. But he just met this guy. As far as he could tell, he didn't _smell_ like drugs so he probably didn't even put any in it. But still... "No thanks, I'm not hun–"

_Grumble_

Oh fuck. His stomach pulled the classic 'let me growl during this crucial moment' cliché. Gamzee smirked in a lopsided fashion. "You sure bro? It's apple."

...

Ffffuuuucccckkkk. Well now he had no choice. Karkat frowned before muttering a quick 'yeah, sure, what the fuck ever.'. He pulled the door to his apartment close then strolled across the hall into the clowns apartment.  
"I got it from that bakery across the street. The lady told me to put it in the oven before eatin' it so I'm not sure if I burnt it or whatever or if it's gonna taste like what I'm used to with my pies but trying new stuff is bitchtits awesome, right?"

"Ahuh, yeah." Karkat hardly looked around the room, only aiming for the pie he smelt somewhere past the living room.

That was the original plan.

Until he stepped on a horn.

* * *

It started with a honk.

Karkat took one wrong step and ended up causing a clown horn to go off. Adrenaline rushed through him as he jumped up and landed on another horn. "HOLY HONKING SHIT! WHAT THE FUCK!" He all but escaped the horns as he began jumping on other ones in attempt to get away from the original violator.

"Oh sorry, bro, fuckin' forgot to warn you. I'm so used to them." Karkat held his chest where his heart was beating erratically.

"How the fuck do you get used to those infernal things?"

"I've had them all for a while."  
Karkat followed further behind the clown and past the living room. As soon as he was in the kitchen, he took a seat at the island facing the living room again. That was when he noticed how bad the apartment was. Walking in, it didn't look so bad, but from Karkat's place in the kitchen, it was a nightmare.  
From his seat, he had the perfect view of all the clown posters, the dried and possibly wet pain, the horns, and the soda bottles. How the fuck did he manage to make such a mess so fast? Karkat could only _imagine _what the clown's actual room was like.  
Because he would never go that far into the apartment and that was a promise.

"Here you go bro. Right out the oven." The smell of apple pie inching closer to his face was enough to take Karkat's mind off the messy room. Gamzee handed Karkat a plate with a neat slice of pie on it.

It looked so fucking good.

So he ate it.

Gamzee watched in mild amusement as the teen across from him devoured the baked good. It was only when Karkat noticed the amusement did he actually make polite small talk with Gamzee.

"What the fuck are you trying to pull?"

Okay, small talk.

"Huh?" Came the unprepared response.

"Why the fuck did you offer me pie instead of the other way around?"

"You didn't have any objections when you were getting your munch on."

"Yeah, because I was getting free pie. Free pie is the shit."

"Then what's the problem?"

Karkat locked his jaw. "The problem is I want to know why you just let me into your apartment and gave me free pie. Do you want something in return? Because, fuck, you don't just go around handing out pie without wanting something back." Karkat placed his elbows on the table and stared into Gamzee's eyes, trying hard to break him.

It worked in a way, Karkat likes to think...

"...I wanted to make friends then. Maybe we could be friends?" The awkward reply and query all flowed out Gamzee's mouth as if he had been ready to say it but just didn't know how. He seemed nervous yet hopeful. Like he _wanted_ Karkat's friendship.  
Needless to say, Karkat wasn't expecting the clown to want _friendship_. Nonetheless,_ his_.  
So when Gamzee answered his question and brought up a new one, he couldn't help but not know what to say. All that he could think of was how weird this guy was, how random he was, how _different_ he_ is_.

...

In that moment, something within that entire apartment building changed. The scale of ordinary people living inside it versus the only different one was thrown out of balance the moment the clown set foot inside it. Gamzee's originality was enough to make up for the similarities of everyone else within the building.

Karkat realized that the second he agreed to be Gamzee's friend.

* * *

Hello :D first thing; thanks for reading yet again.  
I'm not too sure about this chapter, just writing it and reading it back seemed so awkward. The dialogue and Gamzee and Karkat's meeting was really weird. :p opinions? They are appreciated and read with smiles and stuff of that nature :]


	4. Gamzee's Stereo System

Disclaimer: I do not own Homestuck or My little pony

Karkat isn't sure how he missed it at first but the second he acknowledged its existence, he couldn't stand it or get it off his mind. It plagued his thoughts in a matter of minutes. It drove Karkat to a point where he couldn't think.

It was the rap music.

Now, Karkat considers himself to be very tolerant of many things. However, as a result of Dave and his roommate's excessive use of it, rap is not one of those things.

It never was now that he thinks about it.

Karkat turned his chair away from the island so it was facing the hallway.

It's coming from there.

He didn't want to go any further into the apartment of his new "friend"- for several _obvious_ reasons. But the urge to go smash whatever stereo system it was that was blasting that horrid sound to pieces was still present.

So goddamn present.

Trying to be a _somewhat_ polite person, Karkat ignored the music and faced Gamzee again. It took a lot of effort but Karkat pulled it off.

...

In a perfect world, that would have happened.

Too bad it didn't.

Karkat turned to face Gamzee again, waited three seconds then said, "The fuck is that playing back there?"

Gamzee paused in eating his pie to address Karkat. "The rap? It's motherfucking awesome, right?"

"Fuck no, shut that shit off."

"Why?"

"I don't like it."

"But it's only music, Karbro."

"Do you want your new friend's ears to bleed and then fall off completely, leaving you with a guilty conscience? If so let me just plop myself down in front of whatever stereo thing you've got back there and wait for the pain."

Karkat assumed Gamzee was taking that seriously judging by the look he received from the clown lover. The latter pulled out his phone, did a few things Karkat didn't catch -because, for one, he wasn't staring at Gamzee's phone and personal information- and then the music was off.

Karkat thought that was cool.

"Thanks, fuckass." It at least can't be said that Karkat didn't have _any_ manners.

"No problem bro."

Gamzee smiled and went back to the pie.

Karkat had to admit, Gamzee was a decent guy. Despite his weird obsessions and hobbies, he was a pretty okay guy. Karkat might be able to get along with him.

...

He believed so until the stereo came back on, blasting a song even more terrible than the last. A song so despised, it was never even allowed to rear its hideous head in any conversation with Karkat.

_"Who the fuck said you could play my little pony?"_

Karkat stood, knocking back the chair and Gamzee couldn't hold in his laughter.

"Well, no one said I motherfucking _couldn't_."

"Where is it coming from? FUCKING TELL ME, GAMZEE, I WILL SHOVE THAT PIE IN YOUR FACE._ GAMZEE MAKARA, STOP LAUGHING NOW!_ GUGH!" After refusal to stop laughing on Gamzee's part, Karkat resorted to making unintelligible noises.

He really dislikes my little pony.

"Why the fuck do you even have my little pony?"

"Why the motherfuck do you know this is my little pony?"

By this time, Karkat was done with this clown's bullshit. Gamzee already used up his allotted amount of bullshit for the hour- no, _day_, so Karkat was done.  
Karkat pushed the chair that was now lying on the ground back a bit before making his way towards the front door.

"Karbro, wait, I'm sorry bro." Gamzee contained himself enough to offer his new friend an apology yet still gasping.

"Fuck you too, dude." Karkat couldn't help but chuckle some himself. This guy...

"Sure, sure, bro, I know you don't mean that."

Karkat rolled his eyes and opened the door.

"Someday, Makara, _someday_, I'm going to slaughter that fucking abomination back there and then the building will _rejoice_. See you later, I guess, if I'm not still pissed off about your choices in music." With that, Karkat made his way out the clown's apartment.

"See you bro," The last thing Karkat saw of Gamzee before closing the door was the pained expression of someone who hates goodbyes. Even temporary ones.

* * *

Karkat pressed his back against the wooden door.

Holy fuck.

The clown.

From simply looking at him it was easy for Karkat to conclude several things about him.

He probably has done drugs, he probably hasn't had someone to take care of him in a while, and he fucking loves his clowns.  
But while talking to him… fuck… Karkat couldn't even focus on any of that. He could only focus on arguing with him and joking around. Gamzee took his mind off of all that other stuff.

And that pissed him off.

Along with being a very tolerant person, Karkat also considered himself to be a very _focused_, one of a kind, leader. Usually whenever someone would steer his mind off course he would bestow upon them the biggest 'fuck you' he could muster. But that wasn't the case with Gamzee. This guy he just met was already messing up his thought process.

Karkat ran a hand through his hair and pushed himself off Gamzee's door. "Fucking new guy…"

He's never met anyone like Gamzee. He's never met someone who takes his insults in such stride― and Gamzee's only known him for less than a day. No one has left Karkat so confused about them. He didn't know how to feel about this sudden change, but something in him said to go along with it.

So he did.

...

Besides, what kind of leader can't handle change every once in a while?

* * *

Thank you for reading :D 'Tis appreciated.  
I don't have much to say besides that and to anyone who likes my little pony and rap, I don't think they're horrible and if I somehow offended you: sorry c: the insults were all for the sake of Karkat's dialog xD  
Okay, bye C:


	5. Company

Disclaimer: I do not own Homestuck

* * *

Gamzee pushed his unruly hair back and sighed deeply.

That was the most fun he's had in a while. Even though it had only lasted for less than an hour, it had been fun. It felt like he hadn't interacted with anyone for months so hanging around Karkat made up for it.  
Karkat's a cool guy, Gamzee must admit. His insults and the way he said them were obviously just apart of his personality and Gamzee has heard worse so that really held no affect on his happy demeanor.

But saying goodbye did.

Gamzee knew it wasn't for forever; Karkat probably had things to do, people to see, places to be. He couldn't spend all his time talking to a clown guy he just met.

After standing up, Gamzee plodded his way to the back of his new apartment.  
The hall was a shade of neon green with carpets of bright red. Now the walls were partially neon green with the occasional blotch of dark purple here and there. The intentional splotches of fabric paint on the carpet only added to the mess. It was a careful and cautious dance Gamzee did to avoid messing up his masterpiece. While it looked like he had simply run throughout the apartment, throwing paint where ever he pleased, Gamzee had actually spent time and put thought into where the paint went. He considered all the possible ways he could apply the paint to the walls and floor.

He wanted it to look spontaneous. And it did.

He was proud of himself though he wasn't finished yet. He still had a long way to go before the apartment was ready for comfortable living within it. It wasn't finished yet.  
It lacked something.  
But Gamzee didn't know what.

He stood at the end of the hallway, looking back towards the direction he came from.  
It wasn't more paint. It already had the perfect amount.  
It... it needed _something_. But what?  
It had enough horns... it had enough bottles of soda, Gamzee went through a lot of those in the span of a few hours. Good thing he still had a ton in the fridge.

It was quiet now that the music that was partially responsible for Karkat's departure had died down. He normally would have played more but he just wasn't in the mood.

Gamzee walked back to the living room and threw himself onto his tiny couch he had against the wall.  
The silence was almost unbearable.  
He wished he had more friends to talk to than just Karkat. He didn't want to bother the latter more than necessary and ruin what had just begun. Karkat seemed like a somewhat patient person but he also seemed like someone who could easily flip out over something as simple as a knock on the door.

Gamzee needed more friends.

Yeah. He did.

Gamzee shot up off the couch and ran to grab his keys from where ever he left them.  
He began another dance through his apartment, hopping over anything and everything he put on the floor on purpose. So, yeah, basically everything.  
He reached the master bedroom and opened the door. This was the only room he hadn't decorated yet. He had already accounted for how he usually ends up sleeping in places other than what was supposed to be his bedroom so he would leave this for last. Maybe it's not even worth painting since he knows he'll never sleep inside it. Maybe he'll make it a guest bedroom should the opportunity ever arise that someone needed to stay with him.

Pulling himself from his thoughts, he twisted the knob. It was a bit difficult to open and it looked kind of old. Like it was an antique. For some reason Gamzee couldn't bring himself to paint over this door. He liked the deep purple color it was and the old fashioned knob. He twisted a bit more and it finally clicked. Pushing open the door and taking in the scent of what Gamzee called 'History' he stood for a moment. The room looked nice. It wasn't anything special and it certainly wasn't as bright as the rest of the apartment that Gamzee had already gotten to. But it was simple. Gamzee admired that. He looked throughout the room and spotted the keys sitting on top of the bed frame that was missing an actual bed.  
He took one last look at the room before nodding and closing the door, stepping into the colorful hallway.

He did one more dance through the apartment before eventually reaching the front door. He checked for his cellphone and upon finding it in his jacket pocket, smiled and opened the door.

He was going to make friends.

It was while walking down the stairs that Gamzee remembered his apartment still needed something. Something he needed too.

Company.

He smiled privately once more. He's hitting two birds with one stone.

* * *

Thank you for reading and reviewing as always :D On a differnt note, I need some opinions ~O.O~ I think some of you guys may have been reading **'This is Real'** which was a second person point of view I had up then took down. I rewrote and edited the chapters that had already been viewed a bit so they'd be better and _NOT_ a second person POV. How would you guys feel if I uploaded that? Or would that be too much what with this story going on? :) All opinions are appreciated even if you have no clue what I'm even telling you about. I aim to please C: Okay. That was all. Bye bye :3


	6. Worth It

Disclaimer: I do not own Homestuck.

* * *

Gamzee whistled as he skipped down the stairs. He was surprised that he managed to reach the ground floor without fumbling a single time. Usually he would have to hold tight onto the railing in order to keep some purchase and not completely fall down the stairs. But then again he was usually doing some kind of drugs then… He smiled.

Those days are behind him. He no longer has to resort to drugs to solve his problems that never were solved by drugs. They just made his problems easier to deal with.

But now he had no problems. Everything's okay now. He's got a new life in this new place with these new people. These new potential friends.

Gamzee walked down the short hallway only to stop at where the elevator doors were.

"Oh no."

A boy seated in a wheelchair sat in front of the steel gray metal doors. The indicator as to which floor the cab was on was currently dull instead of the bright yellow it should have been.

Gamzee instead chose to focus on the boy in the wheelchair.

He wasn't skinny but he wasn't overweight. He was chubby. The boy wore an expression of dismay, his hands in a nervous knot on his lap. His hair was styled into an adorable Mohawk while he simply wore a shirt that was a light shade of gray, black shorts, and a pair of all black tennis shoes. Gamzee got the feeling he wanted to come off as intimidating or cool but he didn't. He came off as…

Cute.

Elaboration wouldn't have been able to explain how cute he is. It's the kind of cute that's too cute for words. He was the kind of cute that everyone wants in their lives.

Gamzee felt his lips twitch into a lazy smirk.

New friend: targeted.

"Well hey there motherfucker."

The boy turned quickly to the sound of Gamzee's voice, his expression immediately changing from distressed to surprised then to a combination of embarrassed and nervous. The resulting look Gamzee received from the wheelchair bound boy only added to how cute he appeared.

"Hi." After greeting Gamzee the boy turned back to the elevator doors that had yet to open.

"Is everything alright?" Gamzee came closer to the boy he deemed as his new potential friend.

"Um… no."

"What's the problem?"

"The elevator is out of order."

"You call someone?"

"I would have but my phone is upstairs so needless to say I do not have it… because it is upstairs."

The boy nodded as if confirming his own information was correct.

He and Gamzee sat in an awkward silence where Gamzee hopped more would be said like whether he at least told the front desk guy or something.

But the silence ensued.

"Did you tell the dude at the front desk?"

"He's not here…"

Gamzee nodded and left it at that. Clearly this boy is too shy to go around and outright ask for help, he'd be more likely to sit and wait for someone like Gamzee to come and offer help.

That's exactly why Gamzee has decided he will be friends with this boy. There's just something about his entire personality that captures Gamzee's attention. He has this sort of way of leaving Gamzee thinking he has something to say, but just doesn't know how to convey it.

"You can use my phone, bro."

Instantly, the boy's eyes lit up and a shy smile found its way across his lips.

"Oh, wow, really?"

Gamzee nodded as he removed his phone from his pocket and pulled up the phone.

"Thank you." The boy took Gamzee's cell phone from the latter's hands and began typing in numbers right away.

There's something about him, something about his entire demeanor, his personality.

"Hello-? Yes, it's me… yes...yes… well this wouldn't happen so often if the elevator actually was fixed from the numerous amount of times they supposedly fixed it… now is not the time for your irony… will you just call the guys? That'd be appreciated… thanks… I guess I'll go to the park and come back later… bye."

The boy hung up, the smile he had before calling now erased from his features.

"Thank you…I don't know your name…" Gamzee chuckled lowly before taking back the phone and smiling at the boy whose name he didn't know.

"I'm Gamzee. I just moved in."

"Hi, Gamzee. I'm Tavros. Uh, thank you for letting me borrow your phone."

"It's no problem, bro. If we're gonna all be apartment buddies, we gotta help our brothers and sisters out, right?"

"Yeah. I guess. If you can get everyone else here to feel that way that is." Gamzee's interest piqued once the boy– Tavros, mentioned the other residents of the apartment complex.

"What do you mean?"

Tavros ruffled his hair a little, looking away from Gamzee.

"They just aren't into that kind of stuff, you know?"

"Yeah, I fucking know the feeling."

"Everyone is still pretty nice, they just don't, uh, _like_ many people... that much."

Tavros began twiddling his thumbs as an excuse to not look Gamzee in the eyes; however, the latter was determined to make a friend out of this kid, to see him outside his comfort zone. He wanted to get to know Tavros enough to the point where the two were best friends. He wanted to see Tavros be completely familiar with him. It'd be difficult and would require a lot of commitment and time but Gamzee felt Tavros was worth it.


	7. The Elevator

Disclaimer: I do not own Homestuck.

* * *

Tavros Nitram liked being the quiet guy. He liked being nice to everyone. He liked watching life from behind the scenes. He liked seeing people interact.

What he didn't like was when the elevator was out of order.

The elevator was a way of life to him. It was his way to his third floor apartment.

It was an _elevator_.

So why isn't it working?!

Tavros sighed. He'd been sitting in front of the metal doors for a good ten minutes and was beginning to become frustrated (read as even more hopeless than he was upon first discovering the elevator wasn't working).

Every now and then someone would walk by, press a button on the panel next to the doors, wait impatiently and tap their foot, then get frustrated and walk off to the stairs.

Tavros hated that.

Though he's always been silent about that particular thing, he's also been more than ready to comment on it. It just irks him. He gets that it's their choice to take the stairs or not but sometimes he just doesn't agree. He just wishes he were able to walk again.  
But until his wish is granted, he's stuck with a faulty elevator and no way to his apartment.

…

"Oh no." Tavros faced palmed. This is not good. He looked up once more, hoping his eyes were just tricking him and the elevator _was_ working.

It was not.

What is he to do? He can't call anyone, he can't ask for help for several reasons, he can't… he can't focus on his bad situation when there's a weird clown guy staring him down from down the hall. Tavros took one quick glance and turned back. Who is this guy? What does he want? Why is he staring like that? Tavros crossed his fingers and hoped the man would walk away, however he didn't.

He just… stared. Somewhere along the lines, his lost looking expression morphed into a determined smirk. It was unnerving.  
After a stare that lasted longer than it should have, the man at the end of the hall spoke much to Tavros's displeasure.

"Well hey there motherfucker."

Tavros slowly peered in his direction, never maintaining eye contact.

"Hi."

Tavros decided to turn his focus back on the elevator. Maybe he could fix it himself. Couldn't be too hard, right? All it would take would be a lot of tools and engineering knowledge that he certainly didn't have.

"Is everything alright?"

"Um… no." Tavros hoped he'd leave since his question was answered.

"What's the problem?"

Damn, this guy is persistent. What more does he want?  
There's not much that could be wrong with the elevator. Couldn't he just figure out the problem for himself? Tavros really wanted this guy to leave him be.

"The elevator is out of order." Though Tavros believed the inquiring to be done, he was proved mistaken when it continued.

"You call someone?"

"I would have but my phone is upstairs so needless to say I do not have it… because it is upstairs."

The two sat in silence, where Tavros continued with hoping that the clown man would just _leave_.

He did not.

"Did you tell the dude at the front desk?"

"He's not here…" Tavros was starting to lose it. This guy's unrelenting question asking was starting to grate on his nerves and _that smile! _Why is he smiling? There is absolutely _nothing_ in the lobby to be smiling about. _So why is he?_

"You can use my phone, bro."

In that moment, Tavros's heart grew ten sizes larger. The heavens opened up, angels sang, _he had a way to call now. _He offered the stranger a kind, appreciative smile.

"Oh, wow, really?"

The guy nodded as a response and pulled out his phone. He typed in a few things before handing Tavros the device.

"Thank you." Tavros immediately started typing in his roommate's number and sighed in relief as his call was answered. "Hello-?"

_"Tav?"_

"Yes, it's me."

_"This isn't your number… you left your phone up here again didn't you?"_

"Yes."

_"Dude… and you're calling me from this number because the elevator's broken again, right?"_

"Yes."

_"Come on, this happens like every other fucking weekday."_

"Well this wouldn't happen so often if the elevator actually was fixed from the numerous amount of times they supposedly fixed it."

_"Ya know, it's almost ironic how-"_

"Now is not the time for your irony."

_"Whatever."_

"Will you just call the guys? That'd be appreciated."

_"Sure."_

"Thanks."

_"It's probably going to be a while… go hang out with someone or do something."_

"I guess I'll go to the park and come back later."

_"Lame."_

Ignoring the insult that wasn't really an insult, Tavros responded, "Bye." and hung up.

He handed the phone back up to the man.

"Thank you…I don't know your name…" He felt bad about not knowing the clown man's name but it didn't seem to bother the latter. His smile remained in place as he replied.

"I'm Gamzee. I just moved in."

"Hi, Gamzee. I'm Tavros. Uh, thank you for letting me borrow your phone."

"It's no problem, bro. If we're gonna all be apartment buddies, we gotta help our brothers and sisters out, right?"

"Yeah. I guess. If you can get everyone else here to feel that way that is." Tavros smiled at the clown's hopefulness. No one who lived there ever wanted to have everyone get along. In fact, the only time anyone ever really got along with anybody was when there was a party and they wanted to go. To everyone living in the building, if they weren't your roommate, they were an enemy. Treat them as such.  
It was clear this clown would change that or die trying.

"What do you mean?"

Tavros ruffled his hair and focused on a painting on the wall near them.

"They just aren't into that kind of stuff, you know?" That was very much of an understatement and he knew it. But he couldn't stand to rain on the clown's parade. His never-ending smile was actually becoming… endearing. If not, a little creepy.

"Yeah, I fucking know the feeling."

"Everyone is still pretty nice, they just don't, uh, like many people... that much." So he was stretching the truth more than a sumo wrestler stretches skinny jeans… it's not like it'll matter though right?

Right?

Tavros began twiddling his thumbs, looking away from Gamzee. Neither of the two said anything, however this silence wasn't awkward… it was promising.

There was something about it all. Something about Gamzee, the silence, the constant smile.

All Tavros can focus on at the moment though is how glad he is that Gamzee didn't walk away.

For several reasons.

* * *

Thank you for reading and so, so sorry for not updating for weeks! There was a reason though, but that doesn't really matter I guess.  
Anywho~ My summer break just started, so updates will become more regular.  
Tis' all~


	8. Bored

Disclaimer: I do not own Homestuck.

* * *

Sollux Captor has seen many things in his life. Some of those things include a baby's birth- don't ask, a computer blowing up- don't ask, and an all-out Jenga war. It was really intense. So intense that the only time he can talk about it is in a therapist's office surrounded by soft objects.  
However, he's not dealing with that right now. What he is dealing with is strange. It's something he's never expected to see. It's not something _completely_ unreasonable. It's just… strange.

Tavros Nitram. The clown guy from earlier that was moving into Karkat's building. They were out together at the park. At night.  
What the fuck?

Sollux wiped his glasses and then adjusted them on his face.

…

No, he's not seeing things. This is actually happening.  
_But why?  
_Tavros hardly hung out with people he _knew _let alone random clown people at night.

It's not like Sollux and Tavros were super great friends. The two were acquaintances, if you will. Hardly even that really. They knew each other's names, a few basic things about each other, and that was it. Sollux knew just enough about Tavros to know that he did not ever leave his comfort zone. It's a _comfort zone_ for a reason.

Sollux took his eyes off the two people in the park under the pavilion and shook his head, continuing his journey to his destination.

"Weird."

* * *

Ever since he left Gamzee's apartment, Karkat had been doing basically nothing. There is no sugarcoating it. He did not sit and watch TV, read a book, check his email, or contact anyone; he just sat on his sofa. He couldn't think of anything to do.  
It was as if all the fun in his life flew out the window. Suddenly everything was boring. Suddenly, romcoms weren't enough. He needed something more. He considered going back over to Gamzee's just to bother the clown about his stereo system but decided against it. As long as he couldn't hear it what harm is it doing, right?  
He was too confused to know what he wanted to do anyways. Did he even want to do anything? Did he want to be sitting on a sofa in silence contemplating life? He tried figuring out if there was even something worth doing in the apartment like cleaning or organizing, but- thanks to his roommate- everything that could have been done had already been done.

He was so bored.

He needed something to do. He'd call his roommate and pester him about why he hasn't returned yet but Karkat isn't _that_ desperate. Not yet. There are still some things he could do.  
The only problem is thinking of them.

Karkat stood from his sofa and walked into the kitchen. Upon arriving, he realized the kitchen was no more interesting than the living room and returned. There really is nothing to do. He, for a moment, considered hanging out with some of the people living in the apartment complex. There's Dave, Tavros, Dirk, Jake, Eridan, the list goes on.

"FUCKING SHIT."

Karkat face palmed rather harshly. The reason why is simple; _these people are all freaks._ _Why would he want to hang out with any of them?!_ He hardly knew Dirk or Jake but he could practically _feel _the tension between them any time he was forced to be near them. It was uncomfortable and awkward. Eridan always made things awkward. More so than Dirk and Jake. He had this way of just turning every conversation into a discussion of his relationship status or someone else's. Karkat can stand him but only to a point. His main problem with Eridan is the latter's lack of understanding of the concept of "No, I will _not _cuddle with you." But he has that problem with almost everyone. As for Dave and Tavros… no. _Just …no. _Everyone else in the building either thinks Karkat hates them or is an asshole.

Karkat sighed, knowing he'd have to give in to the only option left. Napping.

Karkat pressed his face onto the arm of the sofa, trying to lull himself to sleep. Several minutes later, he was fast asleep without a care in the world.  
He'd wake in the morning with a cover over him and a pillow under his face. He'd also wake up to his roommate lecturing him on the results of sleeping on a sofa arm face first and why he should consider changing his position every twenty minutes.

Surprisingly, that would beat sitting in silence.

* * *

This chapter was not my favorite. It's not very interesting... :/ That's okay though. Something interesting might occur soon. Maybe. Who knows? ^-^


	9. Bro

Disclaimer: I do not own Homestuck.

* * *

By the time Gamzee and Tavros left the park, the sky was littered with bright stars and the city's lights contrasted against the dark blue night beautifully. Flashing lights and colors caught Gamzee's attention constantly and all throughout the time he was with Tavros at the park he couldn't help but become distracted by everything. Tavros would bring Gamzee back to the conversation and he'd just comment on how bright and lively everything was. His amazement was almost child-like. It was innocent in a way, like he'd never been around so many colors or lights or people. It was all so new to him. It made Tavros wonder where he came from before he moved to the city. What his life was like. But they just met and he didn't want to pry.

They spent half of their time at the park talking about themselves and the city. Gamzee seemed really interested in everything. He wanted to go out and meet people. He said where he lived before he never had too many friends or visitors. He was mainly cooped up inside his house. Tavros told him about the people in the apartment they lived in. When Gamzee asked about Karkat, Tavros told him he'd rather not talk about Karkat and that was the end of that conversation.

They talked about rapping for the other half of their time. They both liked to rap. As it turns out, they are not that good by themselves but together they are still no better. Tavros told Gamzee about his roommate and how he has 'mad rapping skills' that 'cause your articles of clothing to come off'. Whether that could be translated to 'knock your socks off' or literally cause him to remove his clothes was not clear. Gamzee didn't push for clarification on that.

After their conversations came to an end and the sky darkened so the stars shone bright, they left the park.

"They've probably up and fixed the elevator by now." Gamzee commented in an absentminded way as he walked down the sidewalk next to Tavros.

"Yeah, they always work rather quickly but they never actually repair the elevator to a state where it won't break down every other week. But they don't charge a lot so that's why they're the only service that the landlord permits to work on her land."

"It sounds like you guys need somebro to fix your elevator."

Tavros was more or less used to Gamzee's redundancy by now, considering he repeats the obvious quite often. But he didn't mind. It was endearing and comical.

"Yeah." Tavros smiled at Gamzee who was too focused on his own thoughts to notice. He just looked ahead and kept a relaxed expression plastered to his face, deep in his thoughts.

Every once in a while, he'd start to hum, however, he wouldn't hum lowly and to himself. When he hummed, he made sure to hum loud enough so that anyone else with him could hear it. He thought it was selfish to keep the 'beautiful music' to himself. Tavros didn't mind but everyone else on the sidewalk seemed to.

When the two arrived at the apartments, Gamzee held the door open for Tavros. They approached the elevator and Gamzee mashed the up button rather harshly and Tavros cringed. It was so out of character to see him suddenly press the button that way. It was like he was releasing pent-up anger. Yet Tavros dismissed it as meaning nothing. He was reading too much into things. It was probably nothing.

He watched as Gamzee took his hand back. He paid attention to how thin his hands were and for the first time noticed how lanky he was exactly. It escaped him at first but now that he thought of it, he couldn't get his mind off of how tall and thin Gamzee was. Did he ever eat? What does he look like without the clown makeup? Those were all things Gamzee didn't talk about when they were at the park. And how old he was. Or his last name.

And then Tavros realized how much of a stranger Gamzee was. But he couldn't see him as that. He'd gotten to know Gamzee, they laughed together, they talked about rapping. They were bros now, yet they still hardly knew each other.

It's a good thing the emotional turmoil and confusion is starting now and not while he was at the park with the person causing said emotional turmoil and confusion.

"Here you go, bro." Gamzee held his arm out to keep the doors open and Tavros flushed.

He just can't get the idea of Gamzee being a stranger off his mind now.

"Th―thanks. I'm going to go now."

Tavros rolled himself into the elevator faster than he ever has before and repeatedly pressed the button for the third floor.

Gamzee just laughed and waved as he stepped back.

"See you later, Tav."

"Goodbye." Tavros didn't look at Gamzee's smiling face as the doors closed and the elevator began its ascent.

He didn't know how to feel. Was he supposed to go back to being quiet, shy, and secluded now that he couldn't shake the thought of Gamzee being a stranger or continue acting as if they've been friends for all their lives?

It's too complicated to deal with. The elevator stopped on his floor and he exited it slowly.

He needed to rap.

He unlocked his door and entered the apartment.

Dave was seated on the couch, staring at the TV through his dark shades. The entire apartment was drenched in darkness. It was like the opening of a horror movie. The only thing that needed to happen was for the power to go out, the phone to ring, and then they'd be screwed.

"Yo." Dave greeted, not looking up from his gaze on the TV screen. Whether he could actually see anything _clearly_ was questionable.

"Hey, are you up for some hard raps?"

Ever so slowly, Dave turned the TV off, turned to Tavros, and pushed his glasses down to glare in Tavros' direction.

"I'm offended that you even asked."

"Perhaps I'm calling you out." Somewhere in the world an eager crowd shouted out an echoing _"ohhhhh!"_.

"Shit… are you calling me out? Are you challenging me? Dave fuckin' Strider? Are you really going to unleash the beast?"

"Yes. You. Strider. The little one; you. Not your brother. And that beast was unleashed the moment I arrived." Tavros replied and Dave dropped the remote.

"Let's go."

The two then proceeded to duel each other through one of their common rap battles.

...

After Tavros left, Gamzee went to the mail room. He was given a mailbox and wanted to check to see if anyone sent him anything. He was faced with disappointment when he saw his box was empty.

He questioned why he expected there to be any mail anyways. He didn't have anyone to send him anything. But things will change now. He's going to make friends and they'll send him letters. He turned around quickly and accidentally bumped into someone.

"Sorry, bro. My bad." Gamzee offered to help the person he knocked down back to their feet yet they handled it on their own. The guy clumsily stood then brushed his body off. He tugged on his red turtleneck sweater a few times and brushed his hair back into place. Gamzee took a close look. This guy looked like Karkat. Maybe they're related. His mind began to race. The thought of two Karkats excited him. Two little angry buddies to chill and eat pie with. They could all share some wicked elixir and watch movies and just do bro things. Maybe this one liked to rap. The possibilities danced through Gamzee's imagination and he immediately wanted to hang with this person. He had to be awesome. He looked_ just like Karkat._

This was a dream come true.

However, once the man spoke, his dreams shattered to pieces.

"It's quite alright, I suppose I was too close to you to begin with however I only wanted to greet you since you don't seem familiar. I've met everyone in this building and I'd like to meet you. So hello, I am Kankri."

Kankri held his hand and out to shake. Gamzee took his hand awkwardly and shook it.

"Hey, I'm Gamzee."

"Hello once again, Gamzee. Welcome to the apartments. I see you've already found your mailbox."

"Yeah."

"I should advise you to be prepared to receive a book of rules and guidelines of the building within the next few days. Unless you'd prefer me to give it to you directly. Or would you like me to leave it in front of your door?"

"Um… shit, bro… what are you even conversing with me about?" Gamzee tried to hide his confusion by nodding but when Kankri kept on with the questions, he just couldn't. That desire to hang with him slowly disappeared with every word he spoke.

"Oh… excuse me… I'm sorry, I guess I didn't explain myself well enough for someone of your stature and demeanor to grasp. I'll start again."

Wait. What?

"I will be delivering to you, a book I have composed myself, that includes all the unspoken and unofficial rules of this building. As a bonus, there is a section with historical information of this building and the areas that encompass it. I ask that you please accept them but if for some reason you cannot comply to the terms of conditions, I will have to ask you to not involve yourself with myself, my roommate, and the various other persons mentioned in the book on page 17. Now, my question is, how would you like for me to deliver this book? To you face to face, or through the mail?"

"Whichever one keeps you all chill, man." Gamzee slowly took a minuscule step backwards. Kankri was really making him nervous.

"Alright, I'll have it to you in no less than a week. If it takes any longer, you can try to find me, but you may have trouble since I do not have the leisure time some people living here possess. I assume you understand."

Kankri held the mail room door open for Gamzee. The latter used his long legs and took long strides to advance away from Kankri, however he was quick and managed to walk along with Gamzee seemingly without any effort. They began walking up the stairs that for some reason had just enough space for the two of them to fit comfortably side by side, with very little elbow room.

"So how long have you been here? What was your reason for moving here? What do you do for a living? If you find any of these to be intrusive, please do let me know which inquiry it was that disturbed you. I will refrain from asking again and any correlating subject or subjects."

Gamzee was silent.

"I'm guessing from your expression your are confused. Here: how about this? What do you do for a living?"

They arrived at the fourth floor and stood in the hallway. A smile spread across Gamzee's face.

"I breathe for a living like everybody else!" The lame joke was meant to be as such and at least leave Kankri smiling back, maybe make him less intimidating, yet he just stared into Gamzee's eyes, emotionless.

"That was a joke, correct? Gamzee nodded.

"It was funny. But that's just my opinion."

They two walked down the hallway and Gamzee couldn't have been happier about his apartment being close to the entrance of the hall.

"It was nice chatting with you, Mr. Gamzee, but this is my apartment."

He stopped at Karkat's door and took out the key.

So he lives with Karkat.

"Okay. See you." Gamzee took his key out also and unlocked his door. He stopped twisting the knob when Kankri addressed him once more.

"Oh, you live right across from me. This is great. I'll deliver the book to you face to face after all. You can expect it by tomorrow now that the mode of delivery has been assigned. Goodbye."

Kankri stepped into the apartment without another word,―_surprisingly_.

To avoid risking having him come back out and speak to him more, Gamzee rushed into the apartment, shut the door and locked it to make sure there was no chance of Kankri catching him.

He is no way like Karkat. They're complete opposites. His dreams of having two Karkats went and died before he could even imagine them for longer than two minutes.  
Kankri stepped on those pieces, grinned them into dust, and lit the dust on fire._ And, _being as polite a person as he is, promptly washed the fire out with Gamzee's tears.

He was really looking forward to a pair of Karkats.

* * *

This chapter was 50% the word "bro" and 50% Kankri's talking. Kankri is too difficult to deal with, why did I include him in this? Sigh.

I hope you don't hate me after that long pause. *begs for forgiveness and clings to reader*

Thank you so much for reading and reviewing. They both mean so much to me and inspire me to continue and not dump the fic completely :)


	10. Convoluted

Disclaimer: I do not own Homestuck

* * *

Kankri entered his apartment, ready to ask Karkat about dinner but found him asleep on the couch. There was an empty container of noodles in the metal trash can leaking the left over liquid onto the bottom of it. He'd have to clean that. There was a half-eaten bowl of popcorn sitting on the coffee table and several cans of soda splayed about on the table top and the floor. He'd have to clean that too.

Kankri clicked his tongue. His roommate could be so sloppy sometimes.

"I'll make him move to his room after I prepare his bed."

Kankri walked into Karkat's room and prepared the latter's bed for him. If he didn't, Karkat would just lay on top of the covers and then he'd catch a cold and then Kankri would have to take care of him or find someone else to and what about their schedule? It would be easier to just pull his covers back for him and send him to bed.

"I'll have to reprimand him about the consequences and implications of sleeping on a couch for an extended period of time. For one, he could end up with a hunch back, which would affect his height and leave him as even more of a midget. He's already the shortest person I know."

Kankri sure was one to talk… literally. He's only a few inches taller than Karkat. Those few inches were apparently enough to boost his confidence. He feels like being taller than Karkat gives him some sort of reign over the latter. Like Karkat can't intimidate him with his yelling and cursing. To many, he is a scary guy so seeing someone like Kankri leave him speechless is just incredible. Those few inches have given Kankri confidence to not be so timid in front of Karkat, and his habit of constantly talking without having to take a breath only helps. The fact that he's no longer so shy and sheepish in front of Karkat makes the latter respect him.

He wants Karkat to look up to him.

_So_ if he remains at his current height, Karkat will have no choice_ but_ to look up to him. Kankri decided against making Karkat go to his room that night.

He needed those few inches.

...

Karkat woke up on the same couch he fell asleep on, but only with a blanket covering him and a pillow under his head. He heard the sound of silverware hitting plates behind him and sat up to see what was going on.

Kankri stood in the kitchen preparing breakfast. He walked around the table a few times, scrutinizing the utensils and their placements until he deemed the table worthy to be used. He went back to the stove and began pushing around food on the pan.

"Kankri."

Someone might as well have broken into their apartment at that exact moment. Kankri just about flipped over every pot and pan sitting on the stove, fell onto the floor, and clutched his heart, a spatula in one hand as a means of defense.

Upon seeing that it was only Karkat, he took a deep breath and composed himself.

"Karkat, I've told you about doing that."

"Would you have preferred to see me suddenly sitting at the table like a creepy little freak?"

"That could be offensive."

Karkat didn't respond. He stood up and made his way to the bathroom to wash his hands and then back to the kitchen.

He sat down at the table and watched as Kankri placed food onto his plate. The latter was dressed in a ridiculously frilly full body apron given to him as a joke, however he didn't wish to offend the person who gave it to him so he's worn it since. Karkat enjoyed the way he struggled with the article after he first received it. He would sit in his room, hold the object in his hands and ask "Why me?", as if the object were a burden —which to him, it honestly was.

Everyone is still waiting for the day when he'll notice the tag labeled 'Adam and Eve'.

After Kankri served himself and sat down on his side, Karkat began eating. He's learned his lesson about eating before Kankri at least sits down. The lecture on patience and manners is not worth it, he can wait the five seconds it takes for Kankri to seat himself.

"So I see you slept on the couch."

"No, Kankri, just don't even go there. I slept on the fucking couch for once. It's okay."

"So you're aware of the damage it could have caused your spinal cord? Which, need I remind you, is connected to your brain. You could have suffered a serious blow to your already limited intelligence."

"WHAT?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that about you specifically. I meant that about everyone. Everyone has limited intelligence that can only comprehend so much. _Now_, as I was saying: you could have been seriously injured. That is the bottom line. There was a reason for the creation of beds. For sleeping. If you're not going to sleep on the bed, what is the point of having one?"

"Fine! I'll sleep on my bed if it'll shut you up about it."

"That would be appreciated, thank you."

Silence filled the room while the two ate. Karkat dwelled on Kankri's previous statement.

"So beds were made for only sleeping, huh?"

The suggestiveness in his tone did not go unnoticed by Kankri, who by now was used to his roommate's occasional teases and jokes.  
His response was a glare, a suppressed embarrassed blush, and, "You are shorter than me _and_ a pervert."

Upon being reminded that he was, in fact, _shorter than Kankri_, Karkat grumbled a few curses under his breath in between stuffing his mouth with food.  
He had to admit, Kankri knew what he was doing in the kitchen. Since he refused to eat out at most places he had to know how to cook his own food. Karkat supposed that's one good thing about living with him. He never had to worry about food.

Or where to sleep. Or how to. Or when.

Kankri liked to cover all the bases when it came to certain things. Actually, _most_ things.

"I also noticed you filled in your chart to the highest level. Is that related to why you slept on the couch?"

"Quit it with the couch! I slept on it because I was too tired to go to my room and it was right there. My ass had already been planted on the cushions all day, so hey, why not just lie my entire body on it too and take a nice peaceful nap? I filled in the chart because I spent an entire hour watching a guy do shit that wasn't even worth my time."

"Oh. Okay."

Kankri resumed eating.

"Why did you give me so much food, Kankri?" Now that Karkat thought about it, his plate had twice as much food on it than the other's.

"I noticed last night that you didn't have a proper meal and only gorged on sodas, popcorn, and a cup of noodles, snacks typically eaten during a movie. Anyways, I figured you must be famished after not having any real food for a day, so I gave you more. Of course you will have to work off all this added weight if you wish to remain as petite as you are."

"Petite? I'm not petite."

"It's okay that you have the body structure of an average, adolescent girl, no one is judging you, Karkat. Anyways, I will be walking after breakfast, would you like to accompany me? It will provide you with some exercise."

"Sure, what the fuck ever."

The rest of their breakfast was eaten in silence. Kankri ate, oblivious to Karkat's angry glare from across the table and between mouthfuls of food, Karkat stared. Today just seemed to be one of those days to Kankri, where his roommate just appeared to be angry for no reason. Of course he did have a legitimate reason to be upset, what with Kankri's constant blabbering and unconscious bouts of derision. They've been together for so long though that Karkat has gotten use to his unintended insults. He didn't just do it to his roommate, he did it to everyone. It became habitual to Kankri to put everyone down while trying to compliment them. And without reason it seems. He just does it. Build someone up and break them down at the same time. He was a walking oxymoron.

Kankri finished up his meal quickly and immediately made his way deeper into the apartment.

Removing the apron and hanging it on the rack behind his door, Kankri placed his signature red sweater over a t-shirt. He adored that red sweater. It was the nicest thing he'd ever received– of course the apron was a close second, but the sweater was handmade. It was knitted with painstaking effort, dedication, and by a friend all for him. There's only one, and it's specifically his.

Thinking of that always left Kankri smiling. It's just nice to know someone in the world cared enough about him to make sure he wasn't cold.  
Though, being the summer, he'd just faint but it's the thought that counts.

Grabbing his bag and straightening his sweater, he flashed one more smile before composing himself and opening the door.

He emerged from his room with his messenger bag in hand in time to watch Karkat leave the table, his plate sparkling.

"Kankri, I'm done, let's go now." He called out as he dropped the plate in the sink and turned back to face their living room which was magically cleaner than it was yesterday. Kankri walked past the kitchen and Karkat stared after his busy roommate.

"Alright, just a moment please." He stepped into a room on the other side of the apartment. It doubled as Kankri's at-home work office and a nook.

Kankri picked up a _very_ large stack of papers from his desk titled, "Rules and Guidelines as of 2013". He held the stack to his chest and placed other papers in his messenger bag.

"Let's depart."

Karkat opened the door and Kankri made his way through before it shut.

"Oh yeah, you have work."

"Yes, as always. How has your work been going while we're on this subject?"

"A fucking magical wonderland full of my shattered hopes and dreams all – what the fuck are you doing, Kankri?"

Karkat watched as Kankri knocked on Gamzee's apartment door.

"I need to deliver this." He showed Karkat the stack of papers he recognized all too well.

"Oh my fucking tap dancing savior, do you really need to give him that? He's not going to read it, trust me, I can tell."

"I didn't know you two were already acquainted. Yet I must. This is the entire reason why the patrons of this apartment function so well. It is the backbone to our society."

"He's not going to read it."

Kankri continued knocking despite Karkat's disapproving glare.

The door slowly opened and Kankri got ready to hand the papers over. Gamzee stood in the doorway, his clown make up looking as if it had been applied again. He yawned into his elbow and scratched his head full of hair that was even messier than before. _Did he ever comb it?_

"Hey, Karbro, Kanbro. Good motherfucking morning." Gamzee smiled and looked down on the two. They looked so alike, so how the fuck are they so different? Gamzee will spend the majority of his life trying to solve this enigma.

"Seriously, it's fucking Karkat–"

"Hello to you too, Gamzee and, good morning. I trust you slept well."

Gamzee nodded slowly, mainly watching Karkat fume in the background.

"Here you go."

Kankri held the papers over the threshold and waited for Gamzee to take them.

"I would greatly appreciate it if you would read each and every page, no skimming as that can lead to misunderstandings and future complications. When you are finished, you can return to me the forms in the back which require your signature to show that you understand and or agree, depending on the form and it's content."

"Heh, sure bro."

"Fucking hell, don't accept it. Gah, Gamzee, you don't even know how fucked you're going to be once you start reading." Somehow Kankri ignored Karkat's rage.

"You can return the forms to me however you please so long as I get them within the month. Good day."

Kankri held his hand up as a signal that the conversation was now over and began walking down the hallway. Karkat remained behind a little to speak to Gamzee.

He looked up at the clown who just gazed down.

"Don't read it." Karkat warned and without anything else, followed Kankri.

"Bye." Gamzee called down the hallway and then shut the door with a wide grin. They were fun. He couldn't wait to hang with them. Because he was going to. He was determined. Sure, Kankri spoke a lot and Karkat was mainly a body filled with rage and cuteness; it's not like that's all there is to them.

They're cool.

...

Kankri and Karkat walked down the sidewalk, Kankri's workplace set in mind as their destination.

"So you already have met our new neighbor; that's interesting."

"Yep, _he's_ really interesting." Karkat sneered, thinking back on their first conversation.

"How did you introduce yourself to him and vice versa? First impressions are the base to most relationships after all. I hope you didn't upset him."

"Why do I have to be the one upsetting him? It could be you, after all, you do talk faster and more than an auctioneer."

"Well, Karkat, I do not mean to offend you, but you do have a habit of inadvertently insulting someone."

"Me? Holy shit, no, it's not inadvertent when I do it. I do it on purpose. You do it inadvertently."

"I do not recall ever insulting someone inadvertently."

"Of course you don't, it's inadvertent. Besides, you don't need to say something mean directly. You usually insult someone like you're writing an English paper and the insult is the underlying meaning to the entire story."

"... clearly, you are doing this because your introduction to Gamzee did not go well and you came off as idiotic."

"I did not. I came off as the freshest fucking guy you'd ever have the pleasure of eating pie with."

They turned a corner and could see the tall building where Kankri was employed down the street.

"Pie? I don't understand your metaphor. Please explain- oh, wait, did you pull the classic cliché of giving him a pie? Karkat, we discussed how terrible that is and what it leads others to believing!"

"No, I didn't offer him a pie! He offered me one and so we ate some pie like it was the center of all life and it was time for the apocalypse to get started."

"...So you ate pie offered to you by a stranger?"

"Yeah. Like we were dying." Karkat enjoyed the way Kankri frowned deeply. Sure, he was going to be lectured again in a moment, but watching him struggle to remain composed was too much fun.

"What if it was drugged? What then?"

"But it wasn't so it's okay. I was fed and didn't die."

"Karkat, that is not the point. I'm upset because you cannot go around accepting things from strangers."

"Kankri, I can handle myself. If I was seriously worried, I wouldn't have even opened the door. But I did and I'm still okay. So untwist your wadded up undies wrapped up tighter than any grown man whose still living with his mother's virginity is and go."

By now they were in front of Kankri's building. It was a large building that loomed over most of the other ones in the vicinity. It wasn't a skyscraper though. No— _those_ were all a few miles away. Where the city really was.

"We aren't finished with this, Karkat. When I return home, expect a long and serious talk about your previous actions."

"Oh yeah, because I _totally_ thought I was off the hook just because you had to work. Needless to say, I _definitely_ thought we were going to have a short and ludicrous conversation too. I do after all have limited intelligence and sleeping on that couch probably fucked that up even more. I can't get any worse, right? So how about this time I invite _Gamzee_ over for some drug free pie? I'll even sleep on the couch again once he's gone."

"You are being ridiculous and doing this just to get under my skin!"

"Am I deeper under your skin than any of those veins and that blood gushing heart and all those other vital, internal organs, Kankri? Because that would be the icing on the meat _pie_." And fed up with Kankri, Karkat stormed off back in the direction of the apartments.

Kankri frowned even more at Karkat's words. Where did these things come from? How does he even come up with these? Does he have them written somewhere? This guy and his convoluted metaphors…

"You can't change another metaphor just to make sense when combined with your sick, twisted, one! It should have been 'cake'!"

Karkat didn't turn around or anything, he just kept walking down the sidewalk.

Kankri sighed. Fighting among them was normal, but this one seemed to have really gotten to Karkat. This wasn't even one of their worse arguments or the strangest. It was probably the most melodramatic one, though. Usually he'd argue some more and utter one more complex, unfathomable phrase before storming off like that.  
Maybe this has something to do with why he filled in the top level on his bullshit-o-meter. There had to be more to it than wasting an hour watching someone. It's not like he was going to do anything better anyways.  
Either way, Kankri was determined to figure out Karkat's behavior after work. Being the determined and motivated person he is; he had no doubt he'd unravel this.

...

Karkat made his way back to the apartments shortly after his little "disagreement" with Kankri. Surprisingly he went straight home. He didn't invite Gamzee over for pie; he didn't even buy a pie and think about tricking Kankri into believing he invited the clown over for some. He just went home, sat on his couch, and watched TV. There were no romcoms on which only made him feel worse. He was grumpy, and needed _something_ to entertain him and maybe cheer him up slightly.

But there was nothing.

So he did the same thing he's done countless times before and spent a few hours watching TV.

Aside from the television's noise, the apartment was as silent and empty as it was yesterday.

However, this silence wasn't boring.

It was lonely.

* * *

This chapter…  
I have nothing against any gentlemen who live with their mothers and are virgins, I just wanted to try my hand at a "convoluted" metaphor for Karkat.  
I liked it ^-^  
Also, I was asked a question about what ships will be included in this!  
Honestly, I wanted there to be a sort of love… squiggly line, triangle, weird shape thing? Everyone has a lot of romance issues.  
You know, it'll be like a soap opera romance kind of thing.  
_"I love him/her, but he/she loves someone else and doesn't know I exist!"_ and then ten minutes later they're in love.  
All joking aside though:  
As it stands, GamKar will be the main pairing (unless I suddenly come up with something else), however I'm open to more pairings and I am planning to include others. If there's one you'd like to have, I'd love to include it! Even if I haven't mentioned the character yet. I'm probably planning to anyways but it couldn't hurt to tell me your opinion ^p^

Alright, I've typed a lot… goodbye for now c:


	11. Things to do with Paper You Don't Need

Disclaimer: I do not own Homestuck.

* * *

Gamzee sat on his tiny sofa, a soda in one hand and the Rules and Guidelines as of 2013 of the building in the other.  
He was going to actually read the rules and guidelines. It would be a long and perilous task but he was determined to complete it. He _will _read those guidelines, even if it gives him a headache.

He's going to regret that decision in about ten minutes, though. But because he cannot see into the future, he assumed it'd be like reading a magazine.  
Gamzee flipped open the first page and began reading and life outside his apartment kept going.

…

"No, Kk, I'm busy."

"You're not busy, you're just hanging out with your girlfriend. "

"We're eating lunch."

"Yeah, I can hear you guys fucking munching over the phone. Thanks for inviting me to lunch, asshole."

Sollux pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Kk, is there something you want? Cause this is another one of those stupid conversations we have when you're bored or some shit."

Karkat was silent on his end as he reviewed why he called Sollux in the first place.

"Kk?"

"Hang on for a fucking minute, I'm thinking."

"I'm going to hang up now. Please do not call me again because I'm with someone at the moment and I'm not gonna deal with your bullshit."

"Ditching me for your girlfriend. We've been friends for _years."_

"I met her the same time I met you."

"You met me a few days before because she was absent the first day of third grade! I win."

"Okay, whatever lets you sleep at night. I'm hanging up now."

"Wait, Sollux-" Before Karkat could slip in one last remark, Sollux hung up.

"Asshole." Karkat leaned over the arm of the sofa, his phone dangling from his hand.

He needed someone to harass; someone who'd keep him company for the time being.

Sollux is _"busy"_ and Kankri is at work, disregarding the fact they just fought so even if he wasn't working they still wouldn't be talking to each other for a while, most likely.

There's always Gamzee. He didn't seem like he was too busy earlier. Come to think of it, Karkat questioned whether he ever had anything to do.

Karkat stood up from the sofa. He was going to ask now. If anything, he's probably only throwing more paint everywhere or actually reading the rules and guidelines. He chuckled at that last thought. Like Gamzee would actually read that thing.  
He made sure he had his key and his phone before going across the hall and knocking on Gamzee's door.

"Gamzee!"

He heard a thump, like something or someone fell, and then the lock sliding. In the next few seconds, Karkat found himself being stared down on by Gamzee, who looked a little relieved.

"Hey, Karbro." He brushed some hair off his face. "What brings my new motherfuckin' bro here?"

"Did you fall off the couch just then?"

Gamzee smiled widely, emitting a light chuckle. "Yeah."

"Did your face break the fall?"

"Yeah."

Karkat eyed him skeptically. What person falls off a couch and is perfectly okay after landing on their face? He gets that most people shrug it off, but this guy smiles and laughs about it.

Karkat wanted to question whether he was high or drunk but he didn't smell any drugs and that was good enough for him. He settled on Gamzee being really weird.

"You're not busy right?" Even though he didn't even ask if he could come in, he found himself pushing past Gamzee—who let him, into his apartment.

He noted that the paint was dry—which it should have been. The bottles were pushed off in different directions and the mess seemed a bit condensed. It dawned on Karkat that maybe Gamzee didn't mean for those to be decorations. Maybe he was just this messy.

"I'm just getting some reading on."

That was when Karkat saw what Gamzee was reading. It was seated on his sofa like that was its designated seat, like it was a person and it _owned _that spot. At least, that's how Karkat saw it as he burned holes through it from across the room.

"You're seriously reading that?"

Gamzee nodded. "Kanbro wanted me to get in on the knowledge that it's got up on its pages."

"You do know that you weren't obligated to read that or sign anything, right?"

"But he wanted me to."

"_Gamzee, _even _I_ didn't read that and I live with Kankri. It's just a whole bunch of fucking shit he's come up with for no reason. It's not like it's an official contract issued by the building owner. You don't have to read it or sign it."

Gamzee bit the inside of his cheek.

"Kanbro said if I don't, there are people I can't hang with."

Karkat pinched the bridge of his nose.

"How is he going to keep you from talking with certain people because you didn't sign some piece of paper? Besides, everyone on that list is a loser or a dumbass or a delightful combination of both."

"Karbro, you're on that list."

He glared at Gamzee for a moment before face palming. It was true, his name was on the list because he did sign; but in his defense he only let Kankri put his name on the list or sign any of those pages because he sure as hell wasn't going to actually read them and because Kankri refused to leave him alone about it. He didn't want to live with someone who refused to sign his precious rules and guidelines. It was his way of assuring himself Karkat wouldn't—_couldn't_ rather—do anything creepy or dangerous to him while he slept, despite Karkat telling him he didn't give a fuck about him.

"Don't remind me. The past me, the one that agreed to him putting my name on that list, is a dumbass. I don't know why I signed it."

Gamzee watched as Karkat suddenly grew angrier. He was glaring at the book and Gamzee could only imagine what he suggested they do next.

"Let's rip it up." When Gamzee heard those words come from Karkat's mouth, he felt like this was a test. Like maybe Kankri sent Karkat to him to see if he would be willing to rip up the rules and guidelines.

What would happen if he failed?

It took a lot of courage for Gamzee to tell Karkat no.

"What? Why not? It doesn't matter; he's got thousands of copies of them."

Karkat moved towards the sofa and Gamzee panicked. He found himself moving away from the door towards the sofa also, towards Karkat actually. Karkat noticed Gamzee moving towards the book too, and he was determined to rip it up; Gamzee wouldn't get in the way of this. The journey to the book seemed to them both like they were running a mile in slow motion only to end up crashing into each on the sofa, the book underneath the two of them.

"Gamzee, give me that book! _It needs to fucking die!_"

"Karbro, I can't do that!"

Gamzee noticed the corner of the book underneath Karkat and reached for it when Karkat pressed his palm to his face and pushed him away. They continued the altercation for longer than they probably should have. At some point, Gamzee realized Karkat was sitting on his hand which was why he couldn't seem to determine its location amongst his other one and both of Karkat's as they tangled themselves in the fight. Karkat was winning, but only because he had one more hand than Gamzee had available currently pushing at his face. Even then, he was still struggling to keep fighting Gamzee. Gamzee mused that maybe Karkat knew where the book was but lost that train of thought when Karkat started pinching.

"Bro! Quit!" Karkat shook his head furiously in a way that was more comical than threatening. He looked utterly ridiculous and Gamzee wanted to laugh but then Karkat would pinch more and those pinches _hurt_.

They wrestled for a moment more, during which Karkat finally noticed he was sitting on top of the book and that Gamzee's hand was still firmly gripping it underneath him too._ Underneath him_.

He felt his throat tighten as he pushed on Gamzee's face even harsher than before. "THIS IS GETTING TOO PHYSICAL! I'M UNCOMFORTABLE! SERIOUSLY, FUCK GAMZEE, _THIS IS NOT FUN_!"

Finally, Karkat managed to push Gamzee off his own couch by the face.

For the second time that day, Gamzee's face went through an assault; first by the floor then by his own new best friend.

He was heartbroken.

He sat on the floor, looking defeated and sad. Karkat breathed heavily in a triumphant way.

"I'd say sorry, Gamzee, but I'm not. This needs to happen and you know it. Stop fighting it. Now," He grabbed the book and scrutinized it. "how do you suggest we destroy this?"

"Let's read it and then write all over the pages, preferably on the motherfuckin' lines provided, bro."

"Gamzee, I will cut your hair if you don't shut the fuck up. Now make your choice."

Gamzee went over his options. Lose his hair or lose the book. It was one of the other. He loved his hair. It'd been with him since he was born, he couldn't lose it.  
But the book was sacred. It was also really long and wordy.  
Decisions, decisions.

"Too late!"

Gamzee watched in horror as Karkat ripped the first page out and proceeded to ball it up.

"Karbro, why?!" Gamzee yelled in anguish and Karkat did it again.

"Gamzee, you had a choice: work with me or not. You didn't choose so I went ahead and did it. Feel free to join me though when you come to your senses."

Karkat ripped another page out and Gamzee cringed.

"This feels so motherfuckin' wrong and illicit."

"Fuck- Gamzee, _shut up_. We're doing this and no one's going to care. Besides, what we're going to do is nowhere near as bad as what other guys have done to Kankri's handouts."

Gamzee sat on the floor, mulling over how he would tell Kankri Karkat ruined the book. Kankri would be furious. He would tell Gamzee he couldn't hang out with him or Karkat or Tavbro or Porrim— whoever that was, or that one guy who had the really long and cool name— whoever he was. What if Kankri tried kicking him out the building? What if he actually succeeded and—

"Gamzee, do you have a blender?"

Gamzee forced himself out of his thoughts to address Karkat.

"No."

"Damn. What do you have?"

"A toaster, a boom box, some bitch tits wicked imported paints— "

"Okay, thanks."

"Oh."

Karkat pulled the book into his arms as he walked into the kitchen and Gamzee followed with his eyes.

"Gamzee, why do you need a toaster with ten slots? When are you ever going to make that much toast at once and why?"

Gamzee smiled despite how upset he still was.

"Toast needs, my bro. We all got 'em."

Karkat shook his head and plugged the appliance into the wall.

"You gonna up and make some toast?"

"Oh yeah. Sure. Of course. But I couldn't find the bread so I'm going to replace it with this page."

Gamzee stared, horrified.

"What jam do you want: grape or apple? Or do you want grilled cheese?"

Slowly, he stood and made his way into the kitchen where Karkat was busy folding a piece of paper in half; three were already lodged into the toaster. He pushed the lever and the paper was pushed down into the toaster as the wires heated up.

"Bro, I really don't think you should motherfucking do this."

"Chill Gamzee, goddamn."

"No; really, you shouldn't up and do this."

_"And why the fuck not?"_

"Because the paper turns to fire."

And, as if on cue, the smell of smoke wafted up through the slots of the toaster.

_"Shit, shit, shit, shit!"_

Ever the collected person, Karkat unplugged the toaster, waiting for the lever to go back up and for the paper to appear again. When it did, he and Gamzee just stared at the blackened crumpled heaps of what used to be paper for a moment.  
Then, like it was the _funniest_ thing in the world, Gamzee started laughing. Karkat merely watched as Gamzee howled. He was a bit irate to be honest seeing as his plan failed and Gamzee was laughing at his expense. It was then that Karkat decided Gamzee had the most vexing laugh of all time. It was this mix of pure… _joy_ and happiness. It was a deep and smooth laugh that made Karkat want to vomit because no one so insane looking should ever have such an attractive laugh. They just didn't go together. His laugh didn't fit the way he looked. His laugh coupled with his appearance was like seeing a narrator's face. Fucking wrong. It was also fucking stupid, Karkat decided since he was still pretty pissed he was being laughed at by Gamzee. Gamzee was laughing at him.

It still pisses him off to think that to this day.

Finally, Gamzee came down from his high, clutching his stomach and wiping away tears, also pushing back a few coughs from too much laughter.

"Bro… heh, why did you up and think putting paper in the motherfuckin' toaster was gonna be okay?"

"I WAS TRYING TO MAKE A POINT, DAMMIT. LEAVE ME ALONE ABOUT IT."

Karkat flipped the toaster over the sink and allowed the paper to fall into the water along with some dishes.

"There." He wasn't too sure what he'd just accomplished besides putting out the threat of the paper burning even more but he felt a little better and that made everything okay again.

"Now what?" Gamzee asked with a smile. He was still pretty upset about the book being ruined but what just occurred cheered him up considerably.

"You're going to join me?"

Gamzee shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess so. I can't leave a bro hanging."

Karkat wanted to smile proudly. It was about time Gamzee came to his senses and joined him in destroying the book.

They spent the next two hours or so thinking up various ways to defile the book and going through with some of the suggestions. When they finally got bored with making a mess, they had over twenty airplanes lying on the floor, three attempts at origami swans, each one uglier than the last, seven crude drawings of Gamzee and Karkat each done by the other, and five— count them— five paper mache _things_. Gamzee wanted to make a penguin and Karkat wanted to make a sword, however neither of them possessed the skills or knowledge needed to create either of those things so no matter how many times they tried their hands at creating their items they just couldn't get it. That last activity was a mess and Gamzee more than once almost ate the mixture of flour, glue and water.

"We still have a ton of pages left." Gamzee noted as he placed what was left of the book on the sofa.

"Leave them for next time."

Gamzee perked up.  
Did that mean Karkat would come over again?

"Sure thing, Karbro!" Gamzee smiled giddily and Karkat nodded absentmindedly. He began brushing off his pants legs and placed the paper mache object in his hand on the sofa.

"Well, goodbye." Karkat stood awkwardly from where he'd been on the floor. "I'm going to call Sollux and see what he hasn't been doing all day because he's been hanging out with his _girlfriend_. Bastard. Anyway, before I go did you want help with this?"

Gamzee was vaguely aware of Karkat talking about something; he was too busy thinking of how much they were going to have next time. He already had several wicked ideas on how they could even have Tav over too! That'd just be the shit—

"Gamzee!"

He finally was roused of his thoughts when Karkat demanded his attention, looking rather aggravated.

"Huh?"

"Did you want me to like, clean up? Or something? Throw this shit away, I guess?"

"Nah, bro! It can stay."

Gamzee stood in order to see Karkat out the door.

"Fine, let your living room be a huge fire hazard, whatever. See you later."

"Bye."

With that, he walked into the hallway, unlocked the door to his apartment and went inside.

And Gamzee stood in the doorway, not sure what to do. He couldn't exactly read anything now. As if aware he needed something to occupy him, his stomach growled.

"I'll flip my motherfucking munch switch to the 'on' position and grab some grub! "

He grabbed his keys, a few bills and his phone before leaving the apartment. He thought about inviting Karkat and decided he should. He was already bored without someone to hang out with so why not? Plus, maybe Karkat's stomach was growling up a storm over there too; he couldn't let a bro starve.

"Motherfucking best buddy!" Gamzee called as he pounded on the door with an ecstatic force.

"What the fuck, Gamzee?" Karkat opened the door swiftly and Gamzee was glad he didn't accidentally hit Karkat in the face. _That'd_ be a storm.

"You wanna get some wicked eating going up and on?"

"What? Are you asking me if I'm hungry?"

"Yeah, bro."

"Why can't you just ask like a fucking normal non clown person does?"

Karkat proceeded to go on about how easy it is to just ask 'want to grab some lunch' and how maybe Gamzee was dropped on his head once and some other complicated stuff before Gamzee held up some money and said, "It's on me, motherfucker."

Karkat was silent before he begrudgingly muttered, "Yeah, let me get my phone." looking a little pissed off once again that Gamzee won.

Gamzee just smiled.


End file.
